Chapter Eighteen.
But whilst Jack was having his 'fun' upstairs, Bill was quite happy getting drunk out of his head in the second room of the abandoned hotel.
He fell into a drunken slumber, only to be awoken by angry shouts, from outside the hotel. He jumped up and stumbled to the window.
A group of guards ran past the hotel, carrying lighted torches to disperse the evening gloom. There were screams and shouts as the town's people were pushed, and knocked aside. What had caused such a commotion?
Then five words told Bill everything he needed to know.
"The Harlem girl is missing." The shouts called out.
Bill turned from the window, he raced up the stairs taking them two at a time, and barged into the bedroom.
It was empty apart from a double bed, and Jack and Jo. Jack was standing by the window, he too was watching the scene below. Jo refused to look, she was of the idea that if she ignored it, it would go away.
Bill stood panting by the wall. He watched Jo as she threw the covers hurridly over the bed.
"We have to get out of 'ere." Bill told them.
"But."
"This is no longer a safe place to be."
Jo sighed angrily. "It is not me they are searching for, it is you." She said, watching Jack, as he stood by the window.
Bill ignored her. "Jack! Jack, we have to go, now!"
Jack turned reluctantly from the window. He nodded at Bill. He walked swiftly to the door, grabbed Jo and the three ran down the stairs.
"Which is the best way out?" Jack said shaking her. "Jo! Jo!"
She was still shaken, but managed to come to her senses. "The guards don't know about the hotel, but it will not be long before one of the harem girls have talked, the back entrance will draw attention to ourselves, it leads to a."
But Jack didn't wait to listen to where the back entrance led, he gripped Jo's arm and pulled her through the front room. She held back. She took one last glance around the room, tears filling her dull blue eyes.
Jack gripped her hand as the trio ran from the hotel, taking cover in the evening shadows.
"Which way to the docks?" He asked.
"And once you reach the docks, what do you plan next? They will find you, they're coming, they're coming." She said, angrily, pulling free from him. "We cannot run and hide."
"We have no choice." Bill remarked. "Leave her Jack, if she does not want to come."
Jo stepped away from them. "You are mad, I want to salvage some of my life, if we caught we shall lose our heads, then what of my life?" She demanded. "I cannot take the risk." "Have I taught you nothin'?" Jack asked, disgust filling his voice. "Look Jo, love, do as you like, return to the Garter be his slave, you call that a life? No, hun, a life is livin' free, the whole world grasped in your weather beaten hand, comin' an' goin' as you please. I answer to no man."
"Jack!" Bill said, as he heard the distant cries, getting ever closer.
"I'm comin'! Jo?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry Jack."
Jack shrugged. "You're funeral."
She managed a smile. "You're wrong, it's yours."
"Jo, you are returnin' to a man who terrorises your people, destroys the very ground you walk on, hurts in ways unimaginable, an' yet you return to 'im willingly. That's power." Jack said. Jack turned and ran, Bill followed with one last look at the terrified but determined Jo Baxter-Cress.
The two returned to the docks. The atmosphere was strangely quiet, as Jack peered round. Suddenly out of nowhere twenty or so guards appeared. Five of them were holding captives, these were Barbossa and four of his crew. There was no point in fighting. Jack flung down his sword, in a defeated manner, Bill followed suit, not looking the soldiers in the eyes, as two stepped forward.
"My ship better be alright." Jack muttered to Barbossa as the group were marched to the palace, the home of the Garter.
Jack managed a few looks at Bill. Bill was close to laughing, the excess alcohol was starting to kick in, and the ironic memory of Jack urging Jo to come with them to be safe flashed into his mind. He shook his head in disbelief, well at least Jo had had some sense.
The home of Garter was very impressive. The large brick fortress, was bang in the centre of Rhydon, from his hundred foot high walls the whole island could be viewed in a single glance. The grey stone gave the building a forbidden air of mystery. There were guards posted at regular intervals along the walls, and the gates were only opened with the Garter's permission. Jack stared up at the barred gate, trying to decrease the grip on his arm, but if anything it tightened, almost to as point of cutting of circulation to his arm. The wound on his head began to throb, and he felt the blood begin to pour, again. Bill stared at him in concern. He was losing a lot of blood. His once tanned face looked pale, due to the blood loss. The group were dragged through the opening gates, and through the courtyard. They were led down some steep stone steps, into a pitch black corridor, underground, the only light came from the flickering torches.
The group were thrown into the a cell, and left, all light disappeared as the stone door was clanged shut.
Jack blinked several times, trying to adjust his eyes to the gloom. He could make out the blurred from of Bill, not far away, and by sound he located Barbossa as he grumbled away in the dark. The rest of the crew remained silent and untraceable in the blackness.
Bill groped forward and placed a sweaty hand on Jack's shoulder.
"Jack, you alright?" he asked.
Jack nodded, before remembering that Bill couldn't see him. "Fine."
Jack tipped his head against the wall, and fell to a sitting position on the floor, Bill crouched next to him.
"It's a good job Jo got away when she had the chance."
Bill smiled, though no one saw. "I was thinking that earlier, at least one of us did, maybe she even made it back to the harem."
"Maybe."
"What are your plans then, cap'n Sparrow?" Barbossa demanded, his voice echoing strangely in the dark, cold, grimy, dripping prison cell.
Jack sighed, there was no need to reply.
Barbossa once more continued to grumble to his crew, but Jack neither heard nor tried to hear what he was saying.
The night seemed long and tedious. No light entered the cell, so it was hard to judge the time. Jack lay, propped up against the damp, moss covered walls of the underground dungeons. His mind deep in thought, he had not spoken a word in hours. And Bill, had no wish to disturb the captain's laments. For lamenting Jack was, how he ended up in the cell? It started with the commandeering of the Black Pearl, the very memory tweaked in his head, as the blood flowed soaking his already red bandanna.
Bill sat opposite, sleep also evading him. He sat clutching a single piece of gold, one of the five he had found on the Black Pearl. Now that death was almost certain, he regretted not sharing his find, him and Jack together could have found the source of the illustrious gold. His mind whirred back to the wife and son he had left, but not for long. He could not think of things so far away, when his own problems were heaped so near.
But whilst Jack was having his 'fun' upstairs, Bill was quite happy getting drunk out of his head in the second room of the abandoned hotel.
He fell into a drunken slumber, only to be awoken by angry shouts, from outside the hotel. He jumped up and stumbled to the window.
A group of guards ran past the hotel, carrying lighted torches to disperse the evening gloom. There were screams and shouts as the town's people were pushed, and knocked aside. What had caused such a commotion?
Then five words told Bill everything he needed to know.
"The Harlem girl is missing." The shouts called out.
Bill turned from the window, he raced up the stairs taking them two at a time, and barged into the bedroom.
It was empty apart from a double bed, and Jack and Jo. Jack was standing by the window, he too was watching the scene below. Jo refused to look, she was of the idea that if she ignored it, it would go away.
Bill stood panting by the wall. He watched Jo as she threw the covers hurridly over the bed.
"We have to get out of 'ere." Bill told them.
"But."
"This is no longer a safe place to be."
Jo sighed angrily. "It is not me they are searching for, it is you." She said, watching Jack, as he stood by the window.
Bill ignored her. "Jack! Jack, we have to go, now!"
Jack turned reluctantly from the window. He nodded at Bill. He walked swiftly to the door, grabbed Jo and the three ran down the stairs.
"Which is the best way out?" Jack said shaking her. "Jo! Jo!"
She was still shaken, but managed to come to her senses. "The guards don't know about the hotel, but it will not be long before one of the harem girls have talked, the back entrance will draw attention to ourselves, it leads to a."
But Jack didn't wait to listen to where the back entrance led, he gripped Jo's arm and pulled her through the front room. She held back. She took one last glance around the room, tears filling her dull blue eyes.
Jack gripped her hand as the trio ran from the hotel, taking cover in the evening shadows.
"Which way to the docks?" He asked.
"And once you reach the docks, what do you plan next? They will find you, they're coming, they're coming." She said, angrily, pulling free from him. "We cannot run and hide."
"We have no choice." Bill remarked. "Leave her Jack, if she does not want to come."
Jo stepped away from them. "You are mad, I want to salvage some of my life, if we caught we shall lose our heads, then what of my life?" She demanded. "I cannot take the risk." "Have I taught you nothin'?" Jack asked, disgust filling his voice. "Look Jo, love, do as you like, return to the Garter be his slave, you call that a life? No, hun, a life is livin' free, the whole world grasped in your weather beaten hand, comin' an' goin' as you please. I answer to no man."
"Jack!" Bill said, as he heard the distant cries, getting ever closer.
"I'm comin'! Jo?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry Jack."
Jack shrugged. "You're funeral."
She managed a smile. "You're wrong, it's yours."
"Jo, you are returnin' to a man who terrorises your people, destroys the very ground you walk on, hurts in ways unimaginable, an' yet you return to 'im willingly. That's power." Jack said. Jack turned and ran, Bill followed with one last look at the terrified but determined Jo Baxter-Cress.
The two returned to the docks. The atmosphere was strangely quiet, as Jack peered round. Suddenly out of nowhere twenty or so guards appeared. Five of them were holding captives, these were Barbossa and four of his crew. There was no point in fighting. Jack flung down his sword, in a defeated manner, Bill followed suit, not looking the soldiers in the eyes, as two stepped forward.
"My ship better be alright." Jack muttered to Barbossa as the group were marched to the palace, the home of the Garter.
Jack managed a few looks at Bill. Bill was close to laughing, the excess alcohol was starting to kick in, and the ironic memory of Jack urging Jo to come with them to be safe flashed into his mind. He shook his head in disbelief, well at least Jo had had some sense.
The home of Garter was very impressive. The large brick fortress, was bang in the centre of Rhydon, from his hundred foot high walls the whole island could be viewed in a single glance. The grey stone gave the building a forbidden air of mystery. There were guards posted at regular intervals along the walls, and the gates were only opened with the Garter's permission. Jack stared up at the barred gate, trying to decrease the grip on his arm, but if anything it tightened, almost to as point of cutting of circulation to his arm. The wound on his head began to throb, and he felt the blood begin to pour, again. Bill stared at him in concern. He was losing a lot of blood. His once tanned face looked pale, due to the blood loss. The group were dragged through the opening gates, and through the courtyard. They were led down some steep stone steps, into a pitch black corridor, underground, the only light came from the flickering torches.
The group were thrown into the a cell, and left, all light disappeared as the stone door was clanged shut.
Jack blinked several times, trying to adjust his eyes to the gloom. He could make out the blurred from of Bill, not far away, and by sound he located Barbossa as he grumbled away in the dark. The rest of the crew remained silent and untraceable in the blackness.
Bill groped forward and placed a sweaty hand on Jack's shoulder.
"Jack, you alright?" he asked.
Jack nodded, before remembering that Bill couldn't see him. "Fine."
Jack tipped his head against the wall, and fell to a sitting position on the floor, Bill crouched next to him.
"It's a good job Jo got away when she had the chance."
Bill smiled, though no one saw. "I was thinking that earlier, at least one of us did, maybe she even made it back to the harem."
"Maybe."
"What are your plans then, cap'n Sparrow?" Barbossa demanded, his voice echoing strangely in the dark, cold, grimy, dripping prison cell.
Jack sighed, there was no need to reply.
Barbossa once more continued to grumble to his crew, but Jack neither heard nor tried to hear what he was saying.
The night seemed long and tedious. No light entered the cell, so it was hard to judge the time. Jack lay, propped up against the damp, moss covered walls of the underground dungeons. His mind deep in thought, he had not spoken a word in hours. And Bill, had no wish to disturb the captain's laments. For lamenting Jack was, how he ended up in the cell? It started with the commandeering of the Black Pearl, the very memory tweaked in his head, as the blood flowed soaking his already red bandanna.
Bill sat opposite, sleep also evading him. He sat clutching a single piece of gold, one of the five he had found on the Black Pearl. Now that death was almost certain, he regretted not sharing his find, him and Jack together could have found the source of the illustrious gold. His mind whirred back to the wife and son he had left, but not for long. He could not think of things so far away, when his own problems were heaped so near.